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11/19/2014 4:04PM

Obama to Preview Immigration Plan Thursday Evening

President Obama is planning changes to the U.S. immigration system. What might an executive action look like? Washington University law professor Stephen Legomsky explains on the News Hub. Photo: Getty.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... everybody agrees that ... our immigration system is broken ... on for Chile WASHINGTON As allow problems to fester for too long ... and so were out of the laying out as the things I can do ... with my lawful authority as president ... to make the system work better ... that's President Obama making it official Hill author of the eleventh integration Hanson a primetime speech Thursday night ... I love that up with an immigration then and last the guests on Friday ... this is your Wednesday acting in news have I'm Sara Mary what ... I can get more on the legal justification behind the present executive action on immigration whether he has the authority to give temporary legal status ... to millions of immigrants in the U S illegally ... that sorry that an area of contention with Republicans for more on this debate ... were joined by Stephen McCarthy he's a law professor Washington University and former chief counsel for U S citizenship and Immigration services ... thinks they much for being here ... so let's tie with the legality of this t think the president does have the authority to sort of decide ... you know whatever innings taking a lot of the country whether we should get temporary legal status to a lot of people here illegally ... we feel pretty confident that the legal authority reasonable minds can differ in that ... article that ... the terms of the law so ... legal objections to be a substantial ... the head of the engine that legal authority he's been talking about and expanding the pool of young people were brought here illegally allowed more than this date ... it's the interaction with their parents or other relatives ... how to be a temporary legal status is it possible for the present to allow these people to stay here permanently ... this ... can create ... citizenship ... the president you do what many ... systems that time ... his degree at the temporary reprieve ... from you will ... and also we're there for us both of those were the last ice ... the statute itself and the regulations ... we recognize and court decisions as well ... no ... sell assets like this could be yet short-term effects of the next president happens to the Arab public and it happened one time deal of that that would need their prerogative ... the legally look at the black is the key to the ... political will to choose to do so ... we believe they could get back into IBM much higher political question is often a legal question ... and what we've seen for tax advantage is that if they have a lot of Republicans who are already up in arms saying ... it is going to be a legal move is using the power of the White House ... we have impacts and Disney immigration ... the key to a greater than that ... Ch ... you're a pretty similar to the immediate predecessors ... that targeted the most striking ... the reality is that ... the combined actions of presidents Reagan Bush Sr ... in the eighty seven nineteen ninety ... the law to legalize the ... three million ... undocumented immigrants ... in the course of that to be it ... this decision not to extend the benefits to the spouses or children who immigrants ... a year later President Reagan ... unilateral executive action ... I didn't that ... extended the people occasionally teach to children with legal immigrants ... the three years later President Bush senior ... I added to the spouses left in ... November and its ... the store ... the price that any of these people are allowed to stay in the country temporarily ... depressed and get to decide what kinds of benefits they would then become eligible for the first rate now if you're in the U S legally ... they are not able to get any of these federal public benefits ... hence ... the description that this ... one are certain ... in addition to work ... most of the federal and state benefits are only as good place to ... lower the ... specific requirements for various events ... the president would not have the authority of the books ... I really